Masked Desires
by mypandas7
Summary: Dumbledore decides to take the entire 7th year class on a field trip for a grand, final party. It's a year no one will forget... especially a certain couple who find themselves seperated from the pack. SLASH SSSB
1. Mother Always Used to Say

_**Masked Desires**_

"**Mother Always Used to Say…"**

**By: mypandas7**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from **_**Harry Potter**_**.**

I've never really given much thought to who I would fall in love with.

Romance had never been an issue for me. It would be an understatement if I said it was easy for me to woo the heart of any girl. I could hold her captive and have her begging to be mine with one hair flip and longing glance. It was pathetic really.

I lived vicariously in sex. Girls would come and girls would go – none of them really mattered. And personally, I couldn't care less what they did. I suppose they were just an outlet for me. A way to pleasure myself and a way to allow me, even for just a moment, forget everything. My past. My mom. Who I was. Everything.

Now that I think about it, I suppose I was subconsciously looking for someone – trying to fill the void… but it failed. Every girl who succumbed to the passing whim of Sirius Black just wasn't good enough. Not that they weren't pretty or nice or anything like that. Oh, they were desirable, don't get me wrong. But whenever I was with them, I felt empty. Some of them may have truly loved me, but how could we possibly be together when I had to force myself to even look at them? I was kidding myself if I thought that one of those girls could possibly satisfy me emotionally. And I needed someone who understood what it was like. To understand what it felt like to have a void in my heart – a gaping hole courtesy of my crazy-ass mother.

Mother… Such a beautiful word should not apply to such a close-minded, abusive bitch. Such a sweet word should not leave a bitter taste in my mouth when I speak the name of the woman who birthed me. She pushed her views onto me; how she thought I should be. Coming from a pureblood family, values of being superior were drilled into my head. Heaven forbid should I associate with mudbloods. Or halfbreeds. Or muggles. Even fags. Especially fags.

Maybe that's what started everything. Having been strictly taught to be straight that is. It was so ground into me that I should be with a woman, that I subconsciously sought the company of females, completely ignoring my own feelings. Somewhere deep down, I knew that no woman could truly make me happy, but I pushed those thoughts aside.

Now, I know I like men. There's no denying it now and I'm not sure when I started to realize this. Was it because I just got along better with guys? Just being able to rough house and joke, to have a mutual understanding? Who knows…

What I do know is that my first crush was James Potter, my best friend. I didn't realize I was in love with him at the time, but James cared about me more than anyone. We got along perfectly and complimented each other. There was never a James without a Sirius. We were best friends. He even took me in when my bitch of a mother threw me out. I loved James more than anyone. But James did not love me in the same way because he was head over heels with Lily Evans. I knew what was best for my friend and encouraged him to go out with Lily even though I raged with jealousy. At first, I thought it was because I wanted Lily, but looking back I can see that I wanted James. I never told James, and I never plan to.

I also never told Remus I had a crush on him. Remus Lupin was my second crush. With Remus, I was a more aware of my feelings and realized I was attracted to him. I know it sounds stupid, but I thought we had a connection both being a bit of a dog. Me an animagus and him a werewolf. We both had that animalistic instinct. But I knew we would never be together because Remus seemed a little homophobic and he refuses to start a relationship with anyone. He's deathly afraid he's going to eat people he's close to or something come the full moon. It's stupid really, but there's no convincing him.

Now that I realize my true preferences, I'm dying to go out with a guy but am too ashamed to make it public. I still court women only to keep my reputation intact. Am I going to be tortured forever?

No. I know I will get past all that at some point, with someone special. I will get a man who loves me and understands what it is like to be so completely alone in the world. I know this because there is no way I will ever abide by my mother's rules.

Mother always used to say I would be the disappointment of the family, and I'm going to prove her right. I've already broke away from the family, and befriended mudbloods and halfbreeds. Someday, I'm going to rebel against her and all pureblood prejudice by falling in love with a man. Someday.

A/N: Hi, I'm Valkyrie, formerly known as Chaos. I haven't written a fanfiction for quite some time, so I'm trying my hand at it again. This first chapter is first person in Sirius' point of view, but I'm mostly going to be writing in third person. Every once in a while, in a separate chapter, I'll switch back to first person, but not very often.

Tell me what you think in a review.


	2. Routine

_**Masked Desires**_

"**Routine"**

**By: mypandas7**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from **_**Harry Potter**_**.**

Sirius Black stood in the middle of an abandoned classroom, leaning against the mop in his hands. He intently watched the clock as the second hand ticked painfully slow around the face. Only 230 more clicks and he would be free from detention. Nearly every day after school, Sirius found himself with some sort of instrument for cleaning in his hand and standing in the middle of an empty room. How did he get himself in these situations all the time? Oh, right. Snape.

Furrowing his brow, Sirius remained staring at the clock as he thought back to earlier that day.

The Gryffindors and Slytherins shared Transfiguration class, and Sirius distinctly remembered that Snape was staring at him. No, not staring, glowering. His eyes were dark and threatening as his lips, slightly pulled at the corners in a snarl, were half hidden by folded hands. There was no doubt in Sirius' mind that Snape was glaring at _him_. Not James, not Remus, and not Peter. Him. Those cold, hateful eyes were meant only for Sirius and nobody else seemed to notice.

McGonagall didn't seem to realize that Snape focused all his attention on Sirius instead of class, or that Sirius was squirming in his seat. As much as Sirius would flat-out deny that he ever squirmed in his seat, he was still surprised McGonagall paid him no mind. Even when Sirius brought Snape's habit of staring at Sirius for minutes on end to one of the Marauders' attention, they didn't believe Sirius. Every time they looked at the dark, greasy Slytherin, the git's eyes would be on his notes and he would be scribbling furiously.

But every time Sirius' friends would go back to tossing crumpled up love notes at the back of Lily Evans' head, taking diligent notes, or simply doodling on the text book, Sirius would feel the menacing eyes boring into the back of his head again.

Sirius shuddered.

It was obvious Snape was up to something. He was probably plotting to recoup, since the Marauders had played a deliciously entertaining prank on the Slytherin the previous day. It involved a creative use of dung bombs, the occupancy of a rather large nose, and took place when said large nose ventured too close to a certain red-headed Gryffindor. James suggested the idea, but Sirius was all for it if it meant Snape would make a spectacle of himself and smell of dung for the rest of the day.

Chuckling at the memory, Sirius still leaned against the mop and stared at the clock, clearly having no intention on finishing his detention. However, the smile soon disappeared as he remembered why he was in an empty classroom on a Friday afternoon. (Sirius was easily distracted.)

Soon after the Transfiguration class was over, Sirius prepared himself for conflict with Snape. Just as he suspected, the moment Sirius stepped into the hallway, he was met with Snape's wand in his face. Sirius' own wand was already drawn and he directed it at Snape. This was where Sirius was taken by surprise. Before Sirius could even move his lips, he heard the whispered sound of a curse and Snape was flung back several meters by the sheer force of the spell. Sirius didn't know what the spell was, what it did, or who did it. All he knew was that Snape was clutching his face as red liquid seeped through his white fingers and all the students around them gasped in horror. Sirius was struck dumb at the sight of Snape's face and hands covered in blood. The students looked at Sirius with disgust. A look that read, "a prank is a prank, but this time you went too far." Although nobody liked Snape, there was no one who wanted to see him mutilated.

Sirius' wand was still raised, pointing at Snape, when Professor McGonagall appeared next to Sirius just outside of the Transfiguration classroom. Upon seeing Snape with blood running down his face and hands, and Sirius with his wand still poised, McGonagall placed a hand over her heart in shock. "Mr. Black," she began breathlessly, eyes wide, "how _could_ you do such a thing?"

"I…" Sirius trailed off realizing just how bad his situation was. All McGonagall saw was Sirius with his wand aimed at a bleeding Snape. This was going to be just like his punishment in fourth year concerning the prank with Remus and Snape. Except this time he really didn't do anything. Dropping his wand and throwing his hands up in defense, Sirius cried out desperately, "I didn't do anything, I swear, Professor!" willing McGonagall to believe him.

McGonagall merely pressed her lips in a line before grabbing Sirius by the ear and carting him off to detention. As Sirius looked behind him to where Snape was sprawled on the floor, he caught a glimpse of something that brought his blood to a boil. Between all the legs and crouched bodies of concerned students, Sirius saw a wicked grin flash across Snape's face as they made eye contact. Time seemed to slow down as Sirius stared at the vengeful, black holes hanging on that cold, white stone of a face, which was torn down the middle. The tear still leaked the crimson liquid, staining the white and trailing down to meet a curled, arrogant smile. It was impossible for Sirius to be so masochistic as to cut up Snape's face. He may have wanted the Slytherin embarrassed, hurt, or put in his place, but never something so messy right in front of Sirius' eyes. That style of revenge had Snape's name written all over it. That smile and the locked gaze Sirius and Snape shared had convinced Sirius that Snape slashed himself. Sirius shook with anger as he realized what had really happened. That little bastard set him up!

Sirius growled audibly in the empty classroom, a habit he'd picked up from transforming into a dog quite frequently, and swung his clenched fist straight into the wall next to him. The crater in the wall stood out and was probably not the best move for Sirius. He would probably punished for that later as well. The pulsing pain in Sirius' fist was also a regrettable result from the flash of anger. Still snarling and teeth bared, Sirius cradled his bleeding hand.

Why? Why would Snape target only Sirius? James was just a much of that last prank as Sirius was. Even more of a part of it since James thought it up. Why didn't Snape frame James as well and get him stuck in detention? Not that Sirius wanted James punished, but it would have been nice to have some company from his best friend.

The bell rung, signaling the end of Sirius' detention. Immediately, Sirius dropped his mop and leaped for the exit, pushing over desks and chairs in his haste. After grabbing his bag from the rack near the exit and throwing his full weight against the door, Sirius burst out of the classroom before the bells ceased. He ran straight into James' surprisingly hard chest and crumpled to the floor.

Before Sirius knew what happened, he felt a strong hand ruffle his hair and heard James chuckle, "In a bit of a rush there, eh, Padfoot?"

Sirius grinned, looking up at his best friend's smiling face. "Get off, you git!" Sirius laughed, pushing James' hand away from his head.

"A git, am I?" James laughed back, pulling Sirius up to his feet in a headlock. "How about now? Am I a git now?" he asked jokingly as he roughly gave Sirius a noogie. Sirius flailed in an attempt to free himself from James' grasp while James held his head firmly and messed up Sirius' perfectly "just rolled out of bed" tousled hair.

"Yes! A git!" Sirius exclaimed, full-on tackling James to the floor where a particularly brutal wrestling match took place.

Remus and Peter exchanged looks as they watched their two friends wrestle in the middle of the hallway. Peter looked as if he were holding back a snort and wanted very much to join the match. Remus, on the other hand, looked exasperated. "Do you two have to do this _every_ time we pick Sirius up from his detention?" Remus sighed, massaging his temple. It was like he was in charge of three very immature, oversized toddlers.

"Yes!" called out both wrestling boys in unison. They never missed a beat from trying to pin the other down.

Narrowing his eyes, Remus marched over to the tangled boys and picked each boy up by his collar, holding them at arms' length. "Honestly you two…" he sighed before turning his attention directly towards Sirius, "Why can't you just stay out of trouble for a week?"

"What can I say?" Sirius shrugged, "I'm mischief's mister." To emphasize his point, Sirius waggled his eyebrows suggestively in Remus' direction. He received a disgusted look from Remus and a sharp cuff on the back of his head. Sirius rubbed his head absentmindedly.

"Yes, but every day? Really? Sirius that's a little extensive and I really think- Oh Merlin Sirius, what did you do to your hand?"

Sirius looked at the hand rubbing his head. It continued to trickle blood and was smeared from his match with James. "Oh, sorry," Sirius said, "That was probably when I punched the wall…"

"Eugh!" James screamed, looking down at his robes, "You got your bloody hand all over my robes!"

Rolling his eyes, Remus muttered a "_Scourgify_" in James' general direction before taking Sirius' hand. "What am I going to do with you…" Remus muttered as he bandaged the bleeding hand. Sirius didn't respond as he watched Remus care for his hand so tenderly. Remus was always like that: soft, tender, and always kind to Sirius. At that moment, Sirius wanted to step forward and just kiss Remus full on the lips. He held himself back immediately, looking away from the fretting werewolf and running his free hand through his tangled hair. He really had to get over Remus. Sirius couldn't stand having these feelings, for a boy nonetheless, and knowing those feelings would never be returned.

"There," Remus declared after skillfully bandaging Sirius' damaged hand.

"Thanks," Sirius smiled and gave half a chuckle, "What would I do without you?"

"You would just have to settle for being a bloody mess, that's what," Remus countered.

James intervened at that point, draping one arm around Remus' shoulder while pulling Sirius' head into another headlock as he said, "Okay, okay, break it up you two. We shouldn't be standing in front of a classroom on Friday afternoon."

"Yeah, it's so unnatural, especially for us," Peter agreed, coming to stand by Sirius' side, "How about a Quidditch game just the four of us?"

"An excellent idea, Sir Wormtail!" James exclaimed, relinquishing his grip on Sirius' neck to ruffle the shortest boy's hair. Peter then playfully pushed back James, who fell into Remus, crushing poor Remus against the wall, and dragged Sirius with him. This sparked an interesting wrestling match as the four boys started walking towards the Quidditch field. There was much pushing and shoving and on occasion one of the boys would jump on another's back to mess with hair or blind the victim. For a moment, Sirius forgot all his troubles, feelings, and conflicting emotions. He was completely content with messing around with his three closest friends on a Friday afternoon, but only for a moment.

As the boys stepped outside onto the grounds in their quest for the Quidditch field, Sirius' eye caught a black figure by the lake. The smile on his face faltered and his eyes lost all trace of laughter as he saw Severus Snape stand at the edge of the water, small waves washing over his feet. The Slytherin simply stood, feet firmly planted, and stared out to an indefinite point across the surface and on to the horizon. For a reason Sirius couldn't fully explain, he felt angered that Snape was standing so peacefully, innocently, and at ease when he was the one who framed Sirius not three hours ago.

In that moment, Sirius felt a blinding rage as he thought of all the pent up grudges against Snape that had accumulated over the years. Snape deserved to be punished too. Yes, Sirius bullied Snape, but Snape always returned the favor. It was impossible to know who fired the first shot, but a sort of routine formed from the hatred between the greesy Slytherin and the Marauders. When one planned an attack, the next day was sure to bring a retaliation. Why didn't Snape ever get caught?

Sirius growled lowly and inaudibly in the back of his throat. The rage consuming Sirius reminded him of all the mistreatment and unfair circumstances he had experienced in his life. It reminded him of his parents and of his unexplainable infatuation with James and Remus. Every single day Sirius felt anguish from everyone in his life. Perhaps that was why he lashed out at Snape, using his boredom as an excuse. To wipe that smug expression off the Slytherin's face and deliver justice to the overlooked matters. All Sirius knew was that conflict with Snape seemed to melt away any other thought that constantly plagued Sirius.

Day in and day out Sirius continued to be tormented: by Remus, by James, by Severus, by detention, by the purebloods, by his family, but no more. It was time to do something about his life and break out of his slavery to his own damn routine. It was time to end his feud with Snape, no matter who started it. The growl in the back of Sirius' throat grew to a full snarl. The other three Marauders turned their heads to see what was the matter only to see Sirius ready to kill. Before he or anyone else could stop him, Sirius bolted towards the black clad figure.

A/N: My compliments to all those who reviewed. Also, much appreciated to those who put myself or this story on alert. You don't know how much that inflates my ego; possibly to the size of James Potter's hot head.

I tried to make this chapter long and detailed, showing Sirius' short-temper and attention span. Also to set up the conflict between Sirius and Severus. (Because I live for hate conflict that leads to love. Guilty pleasure of mine.) Finally, of course, finish it all off with a slight cliff hanger to bring back readers for the third chapter.

I look forward to more reviews and hope you all enjoyed this chapter.


	3. Friendly Competition

_**Masked Desires**_

"**Friendly Competition"**

**By: mypandas7**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from **_**Harry Potter**_**.**

**A/N: I'm not very good at writing action scenes, so bear with me. Perhaps this shall be practice? Eh? Yes? Practice? …..Please have patience with me.**

Adrenaline pumping through his veins, Sirius plummeted full-speed toward the underhanded Severus Snape. He was going to teach Snape a lesson.

The Slytherin sensed a disturbance in the atmosphere of the peaceful lake, turning just in time to see the rage on Sirius' face before being tackled into the lake with a force that could topple a hippogriff. A pair of strong, relentless hands pushed Severus under the water, and struggled to keep him there. Thrashing about, quickly losing the ability to think, Severus kicked at the source of the pressure and was freed. It took no time for Severus to get himself to the surface. He gasped for air and heard a very loud distinct, "You, Fuc–" before being shoved under the water again.

This time, Severus thought more clearly. Obviously, Sirius had lost his mind, and was attempting to murder Severus. This offence needed to be matched with force if Severus wanted to live long enough to graduate. With the remaining breath in his lungs, Severus pulled out his wand and muttered, "_Depulso_."

Sirius was flung back a good 20 feet while Severus broke the surface of the water. In fear of Sirius pulling him under again, the Slytherin quickly moved away from the water and onto dry land, stumbling over his own soaked robes.

As Severus regained his balance, he looked up just in time to see Sirius in mid-leap. The Gryffindor collided with Severus and the two of them rolled together on the grass. Severus' wand slipped from his hand and lay several feet away when Sirius finally stopped their momentum by pining Severus to the ground.

Straddling the Slytherin, Sirius held Snape's arms down with his knees and slung his fists violently at the pale face. It was at this point, being so close to Snape and focusing his attention on punching the Slytherin's face, that Sirius noticed there was no scar where the gash was a few hours ago. This angered Sirius further, which caused him to put more force into his swings. "YOU GODDAMN CHEAT!" he bellowed, baring his teeth.

Suddenly, two pairs of hands grabbed either of Sirius' arms and forcibly pulled him off his feet. Remus then put himself in-between Sirius and Snape and spread out his arms, placing one hand on Sirius' chest and the other in the direction of Snape as if to separate the two of them. The hands still clutching Sirius' arms retained their firm grip. Glancing to either side, Sirius glared at James and Peter. "Let me go," he snarled, trying to break free from his imprisonment.

"Calm down, Padfoot!" James barked, using more force to keep hold of Sirius' thrashing limbs.

"He deserves it!" Sirius bellowed back as he eyed a recovering Snape lifting himself off the grass, soaked and bleeding.

"You're going to get in trouble again," Peter grunted, struggling to fight against Sirius' flailing muscles.

"I don't fucking care! So long as that bloody Slytherin gets what's coming to him!" Sirius snarled, trying to fight the tears welling up in his eyes. That was the last thing he needed right now – for his friends, his love, and his worst enemy to see him crying.

All three Marauders opened their mouths to say something, to stop Sirius from carelessly acting on a passionate whim without thinking the consequences through when Snape spoke, cutting them off. "No, he's right. We should settle this… _grudge_ now. In a fair fight."

The dumbfounded silence that followed lingered for a moment longer than what would be appropriate. All the Gryffindors were struck speechless by – not only Snape agreeing with Sirius – but suggesting that they civilly talk out a fair way to settle the tension between the two boys. Sirius was the first to recover, managing the brilliant response of, "What?"

Snape, rolling his eyes and wiping off the blood on his chin and nose, replied curtly, "I said we should settle this. Now. In a fair fight."

Considerably calmer, Sirius gently pulled his arms away from a puzzled James and Peter. "A fair fight?" he scoffed, "Please, you're incapable of anything physical." He laughed, nudging James and Peter to emphasize his innuendo. Both laughed obligingly, lightly punching Sirius in the shoulder for an insult well-played. All Sirius got from Remus was a disapproving, tight-lipped look that caused Sirius to cough awkwardly, cut off his laugh, and avoid eye contact.

"You're hilarious," Snape bit off the words, clearly not enthused with his arms crossed and eyes set in what would be a scowl if the Slytherin weren't trying to negotiate with Sirius. "It's true you're far superior than me in sports and strength. There's no denying that. However, I would have to say that anyone would agree that I'm quicker on the draw with spells and intellect, seeing as you're incapable of even the simplest curses," Sirius growled at this, but Snape went on, "You let your emotions drive your actions, you do not give much thought before you let your instinct lash out physically at whatever is in front of you."

Sirius was taken aback, teeth still clenched in a snarl, as he realized how true those words were – not that he'd ever admit that to Snape.

"That being said," Snape continued, paying no attention to Sirius, "I propose a contest utilizing both of our strengths and – fittingly – both of our weaknesses."

Uncharacteristically – just to prove Snape wrong – Sirius pretended to give the proposal some thought before blurting out, "I accept your challenge, Snivellus."

"Wait a minute," Remus interjected, actually giving the notion some thought, "What will this competition resolve? What's the point?"

"Fair enough," Snape responded, holding up a hand, "The winner receives information."

"Information?" Peter spoke up, not seeing the point.

"Blackmail," Snape answered, "The loser tells the winner something about themselves that the winner can hold over the other's head for as long as he wishes."

Sirius snorted, "Please, I don't have anything that I- " he cut himself off in mid-sentence thinking of his fantasies of Remus sweaty and pleading, of James' toned chest bared in the soft lamp-light of the dormitory, of strong touches and caresses. The blush seeped into Sirius' cheeks as he thought of the crushes he managed to keep from his best friends.

Snape quirked an eyebrow, "I was expecting something worthwhile, but not something you seem so embarrassed by."

The Marauders quickly looked at Sirius' reddening face. The questions came all at once, indistinguishable from one another as all three Gryffindors demanded to know what Sirius was keeping from them. As far as they knew, Sirius openly bragged about anything and everything to them.

Snape's interest peaked as he saw the surprise on the Marauder's faces, "Nor did I expect something your friends know nothing about…"

Teeth clenched and face still red, Sirius barked back his retort, "Oh, yeah? You got dirt that's worth risking my dignity for?"

In response, Snape remained quiet for a long time, his face unreadable as he stared at Sirius. "I have something I know you would hold over my head for the rest of my life."

It was obvious Snape meant it. The way Snape stared at Sirius made the Gryffindor itch something fierce to know what it was that nobody knew about Severus Snape. "You're on," he announced.

"Wait, wait, wait," Remus interrupted, eyebrows furrowed, "How will that solve anything?"

"If I win and have the opportunity to blackmail Black, I believe he will not be so quick to pull a prank. Likewise, if he wins and knows my secret…" Snape grew silent for a moment. It seemed as though he had forgotten he was speaking. Sirius was about to ask him if he was stupid when Snape continued, "I think Black would be more apt to take advantage of my weakness in a different fashion than the current situation. In any case, the constant threat of trying to kill each other will be gone."

Remus nodded in approval, "Well, I suppose that's a step forward…"

"Give me your hand," Snape said, looking at Sirius and holding out his own hand. Not taking his eyes off Sirius, he said, "Lupin, you come here too, I want to make this official."

Sirius looked at James and Peter, hoping one of them could fill him in on what Snape wanted. Both boys shook their head and shrugged, just as confused as Sirius was. He turned to Remus instead, hoping the bookworm could fill him in, "Wh-?"

"Snape wants to make the unbreakable vow," Remus replied. By the still confused look on Sirius' face, Remus continued, "He wants to make a pact with you so that each of you hold up your end of the bargain. Whoever does not…" His voice trailed off.

"What?" Sirius prompted, hating the suspense.

"Whoever does not uphold to the rules first established dies," Snape answered bluntly, hand still outstretched – waiting.

Sirius, completely horror-struck, stared back at Snape. How on Earth could Snape be so calm about potentially killing either Sirius or himself? The idea was simply ludicrous and Sirius began to shake his head when Snape continued speaking, "It's just a way to ensure that we uphold our end of the bargain. As long as the loser tells the winner their deepest, darkest secret, there's no harm, no foul."

Somehow, the thought still made Sirius uncomfortable. Death should not be toyed with. However, his friends did not seem to be objecting and Snape was willing to do it. Besides, how hard could it be to defeat the pathetic Slytherin? Tentatively, Sirius reached out and clasped Snape's hand.

In a clear and authoritative voice, Remus laid out the rules for the – as Remus put it – "friendly competition." It would be similar to a duel, but in order to put Snape at a disadvantage the duel would be carried out on broomsticks and, as a favor to James and Peter who claimed the game was much too boring, each boy would have to fend off a persistent bludger. Finally, Remus concluded that the first boy to become incapable of playing or fall to the ground must tell the victor his deepest, darkest secret.

"Do you, Sirius, swear to reveal your darkest secret in the event that you lose to Severus Snape?" Remus asked.

Scoffing, Sirius answered a highly cocky, "I will." Sirius had no doubt in his mind that Snape wouldn't last five minutes against Sirius in any match much less one with tests of physical ability. Snape didn't seem to give Sirius enough credit for being able to think on his feet and break out a few hexes when he needed to. Didn't Snape realize Sirius dealt with a werewolf every month? Couldn't Snape grant him the fact that Sirius picked up a thing or two on spells and quick reactions to get out of tight situations? All Snape had going for him was theory of spells.

Lost in his thoughts, Sirius missed the question Remus asked Snape, but he could feel the pressure increase around his wrist as Snape squeezed Sirius' arm. Sirius glanced up at Snape and saw determination in what would be an expressionless face. Somehow, Sirius was able to see the fury, desperation, and confidence in Snape's eyes that nobody else appeared to be able to see. Snape's face was completely straight and his voice steady and seemingly uninterested as he said, "I will." Briefly, Sirius wondered why Snape suggested this duel in the first place, but it was just a passing thought.

~*~

One hour later, the five boys met on the Quidditch Field, as they had all agreed to prepare for the deciding match between Snape and Sirius. Snape and Remus were the last to arrive, carrying a chest containing two bludgers that would be determined to break most of the bones in each boy's respective body. James had insisted Remus accompany Snape, seeing as James wasn't about to do it himself, to manipulate the bludger's purpose without adding any extra illegal tricks to Sirius' bludger.

Upon seeing Remus, Sirius dashed over and grabbed the boy by the shoulders, causing Remus to drop his end. Snape muttered some unintelligible swears, but Sirius paid him no mind. "Well?" he asked desperately, "Did he try anything funny?" It was subtle, but Sirius worded his question with a double edge.

Remus simply smiled and shook his head, referring to the smooth manipulation of the bludgers.

Sirius let out a small sigh of relief. He had been worried sending Remus to be alone in the company of such a despicable boy as Severus Snape, but there was little Sirius could do with James insisting to prepare Sirius for battle and what with Peter being too incompetent. Sirius couldn't focus on anything knowing that Remus was in danger of Snape's sadistic, efficient, and heartless curse selection.

"Hey." The sudden voice snapped Sirius out of his daze. He turned slightly to find Snape glaring at him, but his glare held another kind of emotion. Sirius couldn't place that particular feeling, seeing as it was Snape he was staring at. The Slytherin's face was impossible to read, but the emotion captured on the features of Snape's face almost resembled jealousy. Of course, that was impossible because the Slytherin had nothing to be jealous about. In any case, the look seemed foreign on the Slytherin's face. "Are you two just going to stand there, or are you going to help me with this chest so we can settle this once and for all?"

As Remus moved to help Snape, mumbling a series of apologies while he was at it, Sirius noticed a slight flush on Snape's cheeks. It was quite out of place considering Snape's skin was always pallid, even in the face of humiliation Snape never blushed. Sirius shook his head. It was completely ridiculous. The blush must have been from carrying the chest, after all Sirius had never seen Snape do an ounce of physical labor since the moment they met.

After struggling with the chest containing the bludgers to the middle of the field, Sirius and Snape mounted their respective brooms, facing each other. Both boys held each other's glare, clenching their teeth and tightening their fists around their broomsticks.

"On my mark," James announced, taking the opportunity to claim authority. James raised one hand in the air with a small, amused smile on his face. "Ready?" James paused for effect, glancing at Peter, who was ready to unlatch the chest, and Remus who stood apart, indifferently. "Set?" Sirius and Snape both inhaled sharply, "Go!" James swung his arm down with finality, signaling the competition had begun.

Peter unlatched the trunk, releasing two bludgers with the aim to kill. The sheer force from the release knocked Peter on his ass. The two relentless bludgers wasted no time in seeking out Sirius and Snape.

Both boys kicked off the ground, barely avoiding the first attack. Before Sirius could even draw his wand, Snape had already pointed his own wand at Sirius exclaiming an "_Expelliarmus_!" before dodging the bludger threatening to break his own bones. Snape was quicker than Sirius thought.

Luckily for Sirius, the bludger was too much for Snape to handle, so Snape was not able to finish Sirius off with another curse. Instead, the Slytherin was forced to take off flying, the bludger in short pursuit.

Unluckily for Sirius, his own bludger had the same idea. Quickly, Sirius dove for his wand, which fell to the grass below him. He felt the bludger graze the ends of his hair as it just barely missed nailing Sirius in the head. As soon as Sirius had stretched out his hand and had his wand in his grasp, taking special care not to touch the ground, Sirius bolted full speed along the grass. The bludger was right on his tail. This was going to be harder than he thought.

Racing along the grass, Sirius glanced back at the bludger raging towards him. He'd have to get rid of the bludger first if he ever wanted to get a chance at Snape. Sirius took aim over his shoulder and muttered "_Reducto_." Unfortunately, the attack missed by a full meter. The bludger didn't even notice.

Looking up front again, Sirius found himself on a collision course with one of the stands encircling the arena. Sirius banked hard, just missing the pillar. The bludger, on the other hand, was not so lucky. It barreled straight into the stand and burst out the other side. Slowing his broom and turning to observe the damage, Sirius had a clear view of the bludger attempting to change course a few hundred feet past the demolished pillar. Sirius was going to hear about that later. He winced at the thought.

Still looking at the bludger, an idea came to Sirius. If he could get the bludger to come at him from head-on, or at least if Sirius could see it in his peripheral vision, Sirius would be able to get a better shot. It was too bad Sirius took too long to think about his next course of action. He focused just in time to fling himself to the side as the bludger came crashing back, attempting to take off Sirius's head.

Sirius took off at full speed, glancing behind him to see if the bludger was following. It was. Sirius grinned in determination as he threw himself to the side. To Sirius' dismay, the bludger followed. Furrowing his brow in confusion, Sirius thought about what could have caused the bludger to not barrel past Sirius as it had before. Either the bludger was learning Sirius' tactics, or the bludger would only shoot past if there was another solid object to lock onto.

It was time to put the later theory to the test. Sirius aimed his broom straight for another stand and sped towards the towering wooden structure. Sirius could hear indeterminable shouts from his friends below as they screamed at Sirius' rash behavior. A small smirk spread across Sirius' face as he thought how crazy he must have looked. At the last second, Sirius banked hard once more, and the possessed bludger crashed through the second stand.

Unlike the first attempt, this time the bludger must have hit a main beam because the entire structure started to crumble from the impact. The support beams on the inner side of the tower gave out from the unexpected amount of pressure. The stand tipped inward and the increasing unbalanced pressure was too much, as the wood snapped and the tower fell forward, crashing onto the perfectly trimmed Quidditch green.

Sirius visibly cringed. He was going to hear about that later. Unfortunately, there was no time to lament. Sirius was met face-to-face with Snape. Apparently Snape had already gotten rid of his bludger. How was that even possible? How could Snape have been faster than Sirius?

Snape opened his mouth, eyebrows knitted in fury, and was about to wave his wand when Sirius' bludger came crashing back, hitting the tip of both boy's brooms. Sirius and Snape spun out of control and Sirius feared his broom might have taken a harsher beating than what Sirius would have liked.

Quickly regaining his wits, Sirius urged his broom forward as the bludger circled around. He aimed his broom towards another stand while glancing around the field for Snape. This was going to be a close match, much to Sirius' dissatisfaction.

Again, Sirius leaped out of his collision course at the last moment and the bludger went barreling through the structure. Without hesitating or getting distracted for the third time, Sirius quickly spun his broom around, aimed his wand and bellowed, "_REDUCTO_!"

At long last, Sirius had aimed well enough that the spell had completely demolished the bludger, leaving nothing but a few ashes floating to the ground. As pride welled within Sirius' chest, Snape had his chance to put Sirius in his place. The soft hiss of a not too friendly spell escaped Snape's lips as the Slytherin aimed his wand.

Fortunately for Sirius, he noticed Snape's mischievous antics, quickly muttering "_Protego_" to counter Snape's curse.

The two boys locked eyes for a moment, sizing each other up. That moment only lasted for a fraction of a second. Immediately, both boys flourished their wands and bellowed a curse. Sirius couldn't make out what Snape had uttered, but a flash of white light shot from Snape's wand and clashed with the red stunning spell Sirius had cast.

Sirius did not know what the white light indicated. What spell had Snape used? All that Sirius knew was that the white light gave him a frightening feeling. He was determined to not let the white light reach him, for he feared that if it did something sinister would happen.

They were trapped in their own world of hatred and rivalry, locking eyes with one another and willing their respective spells to reach the other. Red and white light surrounded them so that they could see nothing but the colors. Wind raged around the two, blocking off all sound.

It was as if the two boys had been transported to their own world where they could let loose with disregard for anything and everything. As if the only people who mattered were Sirius and Snape. Only the enemy mattered.

Only for a brief moment Sirius looked beyond his wand and the clashing mess of red and white to see Snape's face. The boy was furious. Or determined. It was hard to tell which. The expression on Snape's face was so conflicted that it was hard to pinpoint any emotion at all. Snape's teeth were bared, clenched tightly in anger. His eyes burned with the firey passion of determination. Glistening in the corners of those vengeful eyes were the sparkle of tears. Tears? Was Snape crying? Or on the verge of crying? What reason would Snape have for shedding tears? Could Snape be so determined to win against Sirius? Was this the depth of Snape's anguish for Sirius' bullying? Was Sirius really so harsh?

Sirius' expression softened and he was about to let up slightly when suddenly the furious match quit. Somehow, both Sirius and Snape had ceased their spells at the same time. It was as if the magic had been locked away, as if someone had turned the faucet off of an otherwise flowing spout, as if the magic had just ended. It was instantaneous and was out of Sirius' control.

A quick glance to Snape's face told Sirius that Snape was just as confused as Sirius was. Obviously Snape wasn't behind this. The two boys locked eyes for a split second, wondering what the hell just happened, when their brooms suddenly lost altitude. They plummeted towards the ground, screaming their heads off. Just before the two hit the ground, they slowed considerably before being dumped off their brooms and on their asses at precisely the same time.

More than a little surprised and hearts racing, the two looked at each other for a moment before being shocked back into reality by the screeching sound of McGonagall's voice, "AND JUST WHAT DO YOU TWO THINK YOU ARE DOING?"

Sirius let out a sigh, scratching the back of his head, "Well, shit. This can't be good."

**A/N: Finally, I finish the third chapter… I definitely wanted to finish this before my Spring Quarter of college started. I sort of succeeded. I had meant to post the Sunday before classes start, but alas, I post the first Monday of the quarter. Oh well.**

**Honestly, I don't know what white light is used for in spells, or if it even exists. Don't mind me. I'm just making up shit. I wanted Valentine colors for their duel. I suppose I could have done pink…. But white's just so much more awesome. Besides, there's little contrast for red and pink.**

**In any case, I'd appreciate lots of reviews and I'll try to post the fourth chapter with the swiftness of the wind… or something. Next chapter: SHARED DETENTION AND UNUSUAL PUNISHMENT.**


	4. Chores

_**Masked Desires**_

"**Chores"**

**By: mypandas7**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from **_**Harry Potter**_**.**

"This is your fault."

"_My_ fault? How is this _my_ fault?"

"You're the one who suggested the stupid duel in the first place."

"_You're_ the one who collapsed the entire Quidditch field."

"Then why are you here?"

For a second Snape was caught off guard, momentarily speechless. "Kind of hard to miss the fireworks at the end of the duel…" Snape finally muttered.

"Your fault."

Snape barely got a second to scowl at Sirius (and would have hexed his smirk off) before McGonagall turned her menacing glare at the two boys following her down the hall. "And just what are you two whispering about?" she spat, narrowing her eyes at the seething Slytherin and the smug Gryffindor.

"Nothing, Professor!" Sirius replied, flashing his best smile, "We were merely discussing how ravishing you look today. Have you done something different with your hair? Or have you gotten new robes? What do you think, Snape? Doesn't she look younger to you? Perhaps the lighting?"

Snape rolled his eyes.

"Well," Sirius laughed, "Whatever you're doing, Professor, keep it up. It looks good on you." As a final touch, Sirius flipped his hair and smiled in a way that would have had any girl in Hogwarts swooning.

McGonagall pressed her lips tightly together and looked disapprovingly at Sirius, "Flattery won't help you now, Mr. Black." With that, McGonagall turned her back and continued her purposeful stride toward the Headmaster's office.

Sirius' smile fell the moment McGonagall turned her back and he stuck out his tongue, wishing he could do more than act like a petulant child.

"That was the best you could come up with? Did you really think she would buy that?" Snape sneered at Sirius' cover.

A swift and rather painful punch to the arm shut Snape up.

Suddenly, McGonagall stopped in front of one of the many stone gargoyles in the castle. "Pumpkin Pastry," she uttered with finality. The Gargoyle immediately jumped aside and McGonagall grabbed each boy's ear, effectively forcing them onto the extending spiral staircase. Both boys grumbled a few complaints, but knew better than to outwardly protest. McGonagall could be hideously unpleasant when she was pissed.

The ride up to the Headmaster's office was excruciatingly painful. Sirius looked over at Snape for a second, fully expecting the Slytherin to be in full-panic mode. After all, this would be the first time Snape would be visiting the Headmaster as punishment. To Sirius' surprise, Snape only furrowed his brow slightly as if contemplating a rather difficult potion formula. Didn't he realize the extent of their trouble? They were about to get detention from the _Headmaster_. This wasn't some minor stunt they were being punished for. Didn't Snape know that? Why didn't he ever lose his composure? For some reason, that pissed Sirius off.

With a final jerk, the staircase came to a stop. McGonagall rapped on the large, oak door curtly before pulling on the brass handle. "Albus," she began, stepping into the doorway, "I have the two hooligans for you."

"Yes, yes, Minerva," came the dismissive reply, "Let them in and I will deal with them myself."

Bowing her head, McGonagall stepped aside and turned her gaze on Sirius and Snape. The two boys slipped in without another word, feeling McGonagall's eyes boring into the back of their heads. With finality, McGonagall shut the door. The ominous slam of the door followed by dead silence under the scrutinizing gaze of the Headmaster was eerie.

"Talk about scare tactics," Sirius whispered jokingly to Snape. A cold silence was all that Sirius received from Snape. Sirius shifted uncomfortably, and awkwardly cleared his throat.

"Take a seat, boys," Dumbledore said, gesturing to the two chairs in front of his desk. Both boys reluctantly obliged.

"Now," the old wizard began, lightly placing his fingertips together and gazing over his half-moon spectacles, "I already know you have stolen, illegally manipulated, and destroyed school equipment. And, I have already seen the damage you've done to my Quidditch field and my windows."

"Windows?" Sirius asked, puzzled.

"That was me," Snape said quietly.

"Nice going."

"At least I didn't take out an entire field. My damage was minimal and can be easily repaired."

"Boys."

"_I_ didn't suggest we use bludgers."

"No, that was all thanks to your idiot friends."

"I didn't see _you_ putting up much of a fight. In fact, _you're_ the one who created the damn things," Sirius snapped.

"_Boys_."

"And you're not to blame? You could have _easily_ talked Potter out of his _stupid_ idea," Snape spat, jumping out of his chair.

"_His_ stupid idea?" Sirius growled, standing up to get in Snape's face, "It was _your_ fucking idea to make a 'fair' duel with the unbreakable vow!"

"ENOUGH!" bellowed the Headmaster, as he slammed his hands on the desk and towered over the two boys. Both boys bit their tongues and hung their heads. Sirius deeply regretted that last statement. They were in for it now.

Why did Sirius have to open his big mouth? If only he hadn't just blabbed to the headmaster that they had used the unbreakable vow… Sirius cursed himself then for talking out of passion instead of thinking things through. Snape was right about that, and Sirius hated himself for proving the bastard right.

"The unbreakable vow?" Dumbledore asked, aiming his attention at Snape.

"Sir," Snape replied, fixing his gaze at the desk, "Nothing would have happened as long as the loser upheld his end of the bargain. We _all_ agreed on that." Snape momentarily glared at Sirius, but quickly directed his attention back to the desk.

"But to bet your fellow classmate's _life_," Dumbledore argued, shaking his head. Snape continued to stare, his face expressionless. Sirius kept his mouth shut.

"Clearly, you two need extensive punishment since neither of you seem to have learned from past experiences," Dumbledore spoke looking knowingly first at Sirius and then at Snape.

Sirius thought back to the full moon when he had every intention on seriously harming Snape. Cringing slightly, Sirius turned his face away from the Headmaster. By chance, Sirius' gaze fell upon Snape's hands clenching and unclenching. Was Snape nervous?

Dumbledore said they both hadn't learned from past experiences. Sirius knew what Dumbledore was referring to for Sirius, but what about Snape? Sirius' eyes widened as he made the connection. Did Snape try to kill someone? Mouth agape and eyebrows furrowed in surprised confusion, Sirius looked to Snape's face. Unfortunately Snape's dark hair hung in curtains around his face, blocking his expression.

Dumbledore stood up, clasping his hands behind his back and began to walk around the desk. "Originally, I was going to make you two clean up your mess with no magic, apologize to the entire school for your foolish behavior, and assign you to attend counseling. It would have been as if nothing had happened. However, seeing as you two are old enough to use dark magic and will stop at nothing to get at each other's throats, I have no choice but to take extreme action," Dumbledore stopped next to the two boys, placing a hand on either of their shoulders.

Sirius' heart raced at the implications, his breathing heavy. Dark magic? Extreme action? Sirius nearly choked as he thought of the one place where dark wizards were condemned: _Azkaban_.

Suddenly, the room seemed too small and Sirius couldn't seem to get enough air. The only sound Sirius heard was the pounding of his heart as he thought of all the stories he had heard. He did not want to end up like some of his relatives. He wasn't meant to be in Azkaban. It was only a game. A deal. A settlement. Nobody got hurt. This wasn't fair!

Through trembling lips and thinning breath, Sirius managed to ask, "Are you sending us to Azkaban?" Snape's head snapped up, eyes wide with confusion and fear. Apparently, the idea hadn't occurred to him.

Dumbledore met Sirius' stare before he chuckled lightly, killing the tension in the air, "Oh, my, no."

Both boys let out a cohesive sigh of relief, Snape being more subtle than Sirius. "You had me going there for a minute, Sir," Sirius laughed, placing a shaky hand on his chest. His heart was still racing, but he could at least breathe easy.

"No, no, you two are much too young to be sent to Azkaban. You're not even of age yet," Dumbledore chuckled again, "Instead, you two are going to serve detention every day together until the end of the year in an effort to get you two to see eye to eye."

"_What_?" Sirius and Snape cried simultaneously.

Before either boy could protest further, Dumbledore pressed forward, "Sirius, as an added punishment you're off the Quidditch team."

"WHAT?" Sirius exclaimed, enraged. A string of unintelligible arguments spewed out of Sirius' mouth, effectively getting Sirius nowhere.

Ignoring Sirius' complaints, Dumbledore turned to Snape, "Severus, you'll be starting counseling sessions with me starting right now. Sirius, you're dismissed. Good-bye."

"But- "

"_Good-bye_."

"DAMMIT!" Sirius yelled, furiously kicking his dorm room door wide open.

The surprised looks on the Marauders' faces would have been priceless had Sirius not been fuming at the time. James, Remus, and Peter all sat huddled around a chest piled high with food and drink. Remus was caught mid-pour as he was filling the glass in James' outstretched hand with butterbeer and Peter was frozen with a sandwich stuffed halfway into his large mouth. All three stared wide-eyed at Sirius as he huffed in the doorway.

"Biscuit?" James offered, holding the food out towards Sirius.

"THIS IS NO TIME TO BE CELEBRATING!" Sirius roared, kicking the door shut and pacing wildly around the room.

The Marauders all exchanged looks before James jumped up to place an arm around his best mate's shoulders. "Padfoot, what happened?" he asked consolingly.

Sirius stared back at James, pressing his lips together in a tight line. His eyes were on the brink of tears. "Dumbledore kicked me off the Quidditch team," he blurted out before shoving away from James and throwing himself face-down on his bed.

It took a moment for the information to sink in, but once it did James lost his head. "WHAT? He kicked off the best beater Hogwarts has ever seen? This is _un_believable. Do you mean to tell me that Dumbledore doomed the _entire_ Gryffindor Quidditch team this year because of a _contest_ between you and Snivellus?" he roared, kicking over his own trunk.

Sirius merely buried his head underneath his pillow in response.

"That is the _stupidest_ –" James pressed his shaking fists onto his eyes and took a deep breath to calm down, "And… what did ol' Snivelly get?"

"Mffmffnn," came the muffled response.

"Sirius, you know we can't hear you," Remus prodded.

Sirius shifted slightly to bitterly bite out the single response of, "Counseling."

There was a pause as the Marauders let that sink in. Peter was the first to burst out laughing. "That's priceless! Snivellus is going to be sitting with his therapist for an hour talking about his _feelings_?" Peter laughed, "Oh, I've _gotta_ be there for that!"

James cracked a smile at that, relieving at least some of his tension, "I didn't know the git _had_ feelings." Remus chuckled at that as well.

Sirius furrowed his eyebrows and sat up quickly, angrily throwing his pillow at an unsuspecting Peter for being the first to laugh. "Aren't you guys upset?" Sirius asked passionately, "I get kicked off the Quidditch team and all Snape gets is counseling. Isn't that just a little unfair?" Sirius was furious. Why was everyone else laughing?

"Mate, I'm just as upset as you are. But don't you see the opportunity here?" James replied with a mischievous smile.

"Yeah," Peter chipped in, "We can sneak in and find out all the dirt on Snivellus!"

"Isn't that why you two started this whole mess in the first place?" Remus asked with a half smile, "To get information?"

"And now we have a platter full of information sitting before us! You want this opportunity to slip by?" James laughed, "Not a chance!"

Sirius sat up in bed, "Merlin, you guys are right! Why didn't I see this before?"

"Because your Marauder's judgment was clouded by pissiness," James replied sitting next to Sirius and pulling him into a light headlock, "Don't worry, Padfoot, we'll make Snivelly pay for this. This ought to be good. When is he having these counseling sessions?"

"Well… Dumbledore had him stay after I was dismissed. He might still be there now," Sirius replied.

James suddenly jumped up, "Then we have no time to lose! Wormtail!"

"Yes sir!" Peter jumped to attention, giving a salute before shrinking down to his rat form.

"To the Headmaster's office! Give us details!" James called after the scurrying rat, "Now. We have to plan our next attack. We should-"

"James!" Remus interrupted, glaring at the plotting Gryffindor, "We made the duel so that all this retaliation would stop. We know his secret isn't that enough?"

"No, but that reminds me! Padfoot," James turned his attention to his best friend, "what's this big secret of Snivelly's that you'll 'hold over his head for the rest of his life?'"

"Err… About that…" Sirius stalled. He wasn't quite sure he had won that duel and didn't want to admit that to his friends.

"You mean he hasn't told you yet?" James exclaimed, irritated, "I can't believe that little snake just-"

"No, Prongs, I mean…" Sirius gulped already regretting his decision to be truthful, "I may not have won. We landed on the ground at the same time. I don't know what this does to the unbreakable vow thing."

Remus and James gave Sirius blank looks. Sirius shifted uncomfortably at the pause, anxious of what his friends might think.

Finally, Remus spoke, "You don't know who won?"

"You don't think you won? Come on Padfoot! This is Snape we're talking about! Do you really think there's a possibility that he could have beaten you?" James exclaimed.

"No, it's just that…" Sirius ran his hand through his hair, "McGonagall stopped us and we landed on the ground at the same time."

"You mean you _don't know_?" Remus pressed.

Sirius considered this for a moment, "Err… yes? I don't know how this affects-"

"You'd better find out right quick," Remus snapped.

"Why? What happens if we don't know?" Sirius asked.

"If one of you landed even a millisecond before the other, it counts as a win."

Sirius paused for a moment, mouth agape, as he let that information sink in. No, that wouldn't happen. They landed at the same time. Didn't they? "I… errr… I'll discuss it with Snivellus. If we come to a new agreement on the part of both Snivellus and I, does that mean the unbreakable vow cancels out?"

"I suppose…" Remus replied, "But I'll have to read up on the terms of the unbreakable vow. I'll go to the library right away." As Remus grabbed the invisibility cloak and opened the door, he was met face to face with Peter.

With a sigh, Peter stepped into the room, "Looks like I was too late. I dropped by just as Snivellus was leaving. Man! I was really looking forward to that."

"No worries, Wormtail!" James exclaimed, "We'll just have to spy on him for the next few days to find out when his next session is! Now I want you to trail-"

"Or I could just ask him in casual conversation. It could be quicker," Sirius interrupted, not wanting another one of James' plans to land him in more trouble.

"Oh, yeah. That's just brilliant. Just walk up to ol' Snivelly in potions and say, 'Oy, Snape! It would help greatly if you could tell me when your next therapy session is! Thanks, mate!'" James cocked an eyebrow and crossed his arms, giving Sirius a look.

"No," Sirius scoffed, "I mean I could ask him when we're in detention."

"Oh, you have detention?" Remus asked rolling his eyes, "Shocking."

"When's your next detention?" James asked, effectively ignoring Remus' sarcasm.

"Didn't I tell you?" Sirius raised a quizzical brow, "I have detention with Snape every day from now until the end of the year." The silence was deafening.

It was five in the morning when Sirius hit the floor, immediately waking up to find McGonagall looking down her nose at him. "Did I fall asleep in class again?" Sirius mumbled, disgruntled, "I swear professor, I was paying attention!"

"Mr. Black, it is five in the morning. Have you forgotten your detention?"

"Oh, right," Sirius paused for a moment, "Why am I on the floor, Professor?"

"Tch… what an idiot…" came a soft scoff by the door.

Sirius sat up quickly, recognizing that he was being made fun of. "Hey, shut up!" Sirius growled looking over at the door and seeing the vague silhouette of Severus Snape. Sirius growled once more for good measure.

"Enough," McGonagall interrupted, hoisting Sirius up by his arm. "Quickly shower, dress, and eat. Then head to the Quidditch field. No dillydallying. You have a long detention ahead of you. If you're not there promptly at 6:00, the Headmaster has given me permission to add on extra hours of detention." With that, McGonagall swept out of the room, gesturing for Snape to follow her. Before he did, he looked over his shoulder at Sirius. The two boys exchanged glares as Snape let the door close softly behind him.

Snape pissed Sirius off. Snape _really_ pissed Sirius off. With little to no concern for his sleeping friends, Sirius loudly rummaged through his chest, grumbling to himself. Snape just had to go and put Sirius in a foul mood. With a final growl, Sirius left the dormitory, slamming the door on his way out.

How dare Snape barge into the Gryffindor tower? This was unforgiveable! Not to mention violating. The slimy greeseball would pay for every having stepped foot into the Marauder's personal space. When Sirius got a chance to be alone with Snape, he was going to give the git a piece of his mind. Or his fist. Whichever came first.

Stepping into the Great Hall, Sirius first scanned for Snape. It didn't take long for Sirius to realize that Snape wasn't there. In fact, the entire hall was deserted. Everyone else must still be asleep. How nice for them.

Sirius grumbled as he sat down to the small buffet set out for him and, presumably, Snape. Taking a large helping of eggs and bacon, Sirius couldn't help but wonder where Snape was. Probably in counseling with Dumbledore again. Sirius snickered.

Which reminded Sirius, this was no time for revenge. He needed to find out Snape's schedule for counseling and find out what to do about the results of the duel. Revenge would have come later. It would be much, much sweeter than beating Snape senseless now. Sirius needed to focus on making friendly banter with Snape and getting crucial information for his friends. Sirius was a spy now, and nothing would hinder him from playing the part of an ally.

Once Sirius finished wolfing down his breakfast, he headed to the Quidditch locker room where he took a quick shower. Shaking his head one last time to clear away his reckless anger (as well as to dry his drenched hair) Sirius stepped onto the Quidditch field.

Snape stood in the middle of the field. He looked odd holding a hammer in one hand and propping a saw on his shoulder for support. His expression was bored, and he stood so calmly as if he didn't have to clean up an entire demolition site. He looked strangely manly. Stranger still, Sirius felt something as he stared at Snape. It was an odd sensation. Did his stomach just flip? That didn't make sense seeing as he didn't feel nauseous nor was Remus anywhere near him. Did he imagine it?

"Your wand," came a voice behind Sirius, interrupting his thoughts.

"Whoa, what?" Sirius asked, whipping his head around to find McGonagall standing with her hand outstretched, expectantly.

"Your _wand_, Mr. Black. No magic when fixing your mistake." Sirius reluctantly handed over his wand. "Right, well here is your water bottle. I will be back later to check on your progress. You'll have an early lunch and be right back to work in the afternoon," McGonagall said dismissively as she turned and left Sirius alone. It seemed as though Dumbledore planned to work Sirius and Snape to the bone.

Turning back to Snape, Sirius sighed and put on a friendly face. He strode over to Snape, trying to act as normal as possible. "Nobody is meant to wake up this damn early. I mean… who has detention at 6:00 A.M., right?" Sirius laughed.

Snape glared darkly back, "We do."

"Heh… right…" Sirius trailed off. So much for friendly. "So… what are we doing?"

"Well," Snape replied, all business, "since we can't work on the grass with this great mass of destroyed wood in the way, we'll have to rebuild all the towers first."

"And how do you plan to do that, Captain Know-It-All?" Sirius asked, crossing his arms, "We can't just lift them up and set them upright. We'd need magic for that, and if you haven't noticed we're wand-less!"

Sirius was met with another glare, "I'm well aware of our situation, Black. That's why we're going to dissemble these towers and manually transfer them into organized piles. After we organize the wood we can start rebuilding."

Sirius nearly fell over, "Are you _kidding me_? We're going to build three towers from _scratch_?"

"And touch up all the other stands," was Snape's nonchalant reply.

"How are you so calm about all this?" Sirius demanded.

"Well, we have all year to do this. It's either this or scrubbing the toilets with a toothbrush."

Sirius wanted to smack something. This job was going to take forever. What was Dumbledore thinking?

Without another word, both boys headed over to the collapsed piles of wood to start disassembling the giant structures. They worked for hours not saying a single word to each other. Though, Sirius never missed an opportunity to nearly swing a plank of wood at Snape's head on accident. Too bad Snape ducked each time.

Soon, the sun was beating down on their heads as they sawed and lifted heavy weights. Despite the chill in the air, both boys were sweating profusely. Snape had removed his cloak, vest, and tie, leaving only his collared shirt with the sleeves rolled up. Sirius, on the other hand, stripped down to bare his chest, leaving only his pants. The breeze felt refreshing.

Shortly after stripping down, Sirius had an odd feeling that someone was watching him. Every time he would stop and look around, he would see nobody around. Only Snape sawing a chunk of tower as Sirius hauled wood to the proper pile (as instructed by Snape).

Sirius decided to ignore this feeling. He had more important matters at hand. They had already been working for five hours and hadn't talked since they arrived at the field. At this rate, the Marauders' plan of attack would be a failure.

Taking a drink of water, Sirius discretely glanced over to Snape. Interestingly enough, Snape's head seemed to be inclined to where Sirius stood. If Sirius knew Snape, Sirius knew that the Slytherin directed his full attention to whatever task was at hand. Why wasn't Snape watching what he was doing with the saw? Was Snape… staring at Sirius? This was an interesting discovery.

After finishing his water break, Sirius sauntered towards Snape, who had redirected his gaze to stare intently at his sawing. Sirius casually leaned against a sturdy plank of wood, taking another drink. Snape's gaze did not waver.

"So…. are we going to talk?" Sirius asked, running a hand through his hair.

Snape looked irritated, "About _what_, Black? There's nothing to talk about."

"Like… the Unbreakable vow?"

Snape's sawing paused for a moment before resuming. "What about it?"

"Aren't you worried?"

Snape stopped sawing and looked up at Sirius, "You mean am I worried about what you're going to tell me? Not at all. Whenever you're ready, Black." The smirk on Snape's face was infuriating.

"_Excuse_ me?" Sirius raised his voice, "Did you just imply that I lost?"

"No implications necessary."

Sirius grabbed Snape by the collar and shoved him up against the remains of the Quidditch pillar. "Sorry, you want to run that by me again?" Sirius snarled.

Was Snape always that breathless?

Taking note, but not yet addressing Snape's clear discomfort, Sirius leaned in closer, mere inches from Snape's face, "I believe that the match was a tie."

Was Snape always that red?

Snape regained his composure, pushing Sirius further away from him. "Honestly, Black. I destroyed my bludger first and my attack was winning at the end. Obviously, I am the victor. So, what's your deepest, darkest secret?"

"No, _Snivellus_," Sirius spat, "The terms of the duel clearly stated that whoever fell first or who was incapable of dueling would lose. As I recall, both of us dueled until the very end and landed at the exact same time."

Snape considered this for a moment. "What you say holds some truth."

"_Some_?" Sirius argued, scoffing, "Everything I said are plain facts and you know-"

"And given that what you say is true," Snape continued on, ignoring Sirius, "A tie would mean that neither of us won. Which means we don't have to confess our deepest darkest secret. Case solved. Now will you kindly get your hands off me and put on a shirt?"

"Whoa, wait," Sirius said, not relinquishing his grip on Snape's shirt, "You don't even want to play it safe? What if one of us landed a millisecond sooner? One of us could _die_, Snape!"

"I thought everything you said before were plain facts," Snape scoffed, "or are you just being arrogant, boasting that you know everything through a mere bluff?"

Sirius felt the blush like a slap across the face. "I –" Sirius bared his clenched teeth. How dare Snape accuse him of arrogance and idiocy? "You shut your mouth, filthy snake!" Sirius barked, resorting to name-calling in the face of a direct insult.

"You should learn to _think_ before you open your mouth," Snape countered, throwing Sirius' hands off him.

"You take that back!" Sirius bellowed, throwing a punch at Snape's face. His fist collided with Snape's jaw and sent the Slytherin reeling. Wasting no time, Sirius straddled Snape and let loose on Snape's face. "You take that back right now! What do you have to say for yourself?" Sirius stopped punching for a moment to hear Snape's reply.

Sirius was met with a rather large wad of spit in his eye. "AAAUGH!" Sirius screamed, sitting back to rub the mess from his eyes. The smaller body beneath Sirius scrambled out of Sirius' grip. "Get back here, you coward!" Sirius shouted, whipping his head around blindly.

A crash of wood gave Snape's position away. Quickly rising to his feet, Sirius squinted through his useless eyes to see a vague shadow by a much larger, shapeless shadow. That must be Snape by the wood pile. Sirius charged blindly towards the figure.

Sirius was met with a large blow across the face and hit the floor.

Stirring slightly, Sirius' eyes fluttered open. The first thing Sirius noticed was the immense pain in his cheek and a pounding headache. The second thing he noticed was that he was lying on a couch.

"Ah, Sirius," came Dumbledore's voice, "You're awake. Very good, very good. Come join young Severus and I. We have much to discuss."

Sirius stood up and immediately regretting doing so. Slowly, Sirius staggered over to an empty chair and collapsed into it.

Dumbledore chuckled, "I see Severus did a number on you, Sirius."

"Huh?" Sirius asked, looking stupidly at Dumbledore.

"Severus seems to have given you a good smack with a plank of wood."

A flood of embarrassment washed over Sirius as he let that information sink in. _Snivellus_ knocked Sirius out with a piece of wood! Oh, he'd pay for that.

"Which brings me to my main point and why I brought you two back to my office," Dumbledore continued, placing his fingertips together. "It seems that you two are incapable of serving even one detention together without tearing the other apart. Perhaps detention is not enough. That is why I have come up with a solution. There is an event coming up fairly soon."

"Do you mean Hogsmeade weekend, Sir?" Severus prompted. There was to be a trip next weekend.

"Actually, no," Dumbledore replied, "I am referring to an event that I have yet to reveal to all you seventh years. It is on this event that your punishment will take place."

Sirius and Snape exchanged glances. This did not bode well.

"I will take away your ability to perform magic during this event and you two must stay in the company of the other throughout the entire event."

"And if we refuse?" Sirius challenged, absolutely refusing to spend time in the company of Severus Snape.

"If either of you attempt to break either of these rules…" Dumbledore gazed seriously over his half-moon spectacles, "Then you will both be expelled."

**A/N: There you have it. Chapter 4. In all of it's Pissy-Sirius glory. Seriously. Sirius, just chill.**

**Props to Severus for being able to fend for himself in a muggle fight. **

**I also believe mission: Get Severus to Fork Over Counseling Session Schedule was a complete failure. However, fear not. The only ones who should be upset over this are Peter and James.**

**I forsee the next chapter being a short one. Dumbledore lays down the rules for a surprise event.**

**Please read and review. I do so appreciate reviews.**


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